


Not a Great Man.

by abetternameneeded



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: mention of murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 04:07:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30100068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abetternameneeded/pseuds/abetternameneeded
Summary: How Alice learns that Killian had killed people in the past.
Relationships: Wishverse Captain Hook | Detective Rogers & Alice Jones | Tilly
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	Not a Great Man.

He'd never been sure how much to tell her. How much he should keep a secret until she was older. How much it might affect hed to know he'd been a horrible person. Taken lives of innocents because hebwas drunk and hellbent on revenge. He'd never harned a child, well not that he could remeber. There were surely crimes he committed while he reeked of alachol and woke up thr next day nursing his hangover with even more rum. Parts of his memory a blackout from the bitter drink. He'd turned to it to numb his pain and to quiet his conscience, but eventually he didn't remeber he had either.

He'd seen himself in gothel. The moment she'd betrayed him, betrayed her own daughter. Was willing to let her die all for what? The one thing gothel wanted? That was wrong. He scolded hinself, there was not a damn thing all that different in gothel abandoning a baby and him killing innocent men, leaving their children fatherless all so no one could stand in his way of killing the crocodile. His guilt had multiplied but he had become a better man. For her. It was all for alice. If she hadn't cried he'd srill be on his quest for revenge leaving dearh and destruction in his wake and keeping the riches he'd not exactly earned. He had kept the money and treasure. He had to pay to take care lf his dsighter somehow, and he couldn't exactly get an honest job with her trapped alone in the tower. 

So he owed her an answer. He owed her an explnation. Maybe one more censored yo her innocent ears. But what did he do before she was born? 

"I wasn't a good man, starfish. I made a lot lf bad decisions. Hurt a lot of people. And I regret it. If i could take it back I would. But i can't. But i can say ibe changed. And will never do it again." 

He waa terrsfied he'd lose her. She had every right ro be angry. Somehoe despite everything, her situation and the fact that both of her biological parents had committed heinous crimes, she was so kind. So understanding. She explained every time an animal got in thst they just juet be lost and that thry jeeded to be helped. He obliged her request even if he didn't really love the fact she was willing to pick up spiders. 

He expected her to want him to leave her alone. Not that he could go vrry far in thid small space. But she didn't. 

"What'd you do?" 

"That, starfisj, might be a clnversationnfor when you're a bit older."

"I want to know." He wasn't exsvtly good at rhe word no. He used to kill to get hisbway and was fesred by most, but Alice had her way of convincing him. His guikt kver her situwtion certainly didn't help him with denying her answers. 

"I was like a villiannin your storybooks, i regret it." 

"So your hurt people." 

"Aye, i killed people. And it wasn't okay. And i shouldn't have done it." 

"Were you scared?" 

"Maybe." 

"Or sad, peopke do a lot.lf bad things when thry're scared krnsad in my books." 

Ok, that explained where in thr hell she'd obtained enough knlwledge of how people worked to posess any ampunt of empathy for thr mkce and bugs in the tower. He made a mental note to make sure Alice had some mkre books next time he went out. "Everyone makes mistakes. And you said you were sorry. I don't tjink i could hurt anyone, though. Not that i could try." 

She was just talking, trying to comfort him, or maybe herself and the stark reminded that she was in fact spending her childhood locked in a room came out naturally. Thry talked about it. It wasn't a secret but it was sad. 

"Aye, i agree. Thanks. Do you want to play a game?" 

They played a bit of chess and went ablut their day. Killian happy that Alice didn't hold his past against him.

"Yiu're wrong."

"How so?" 

"You are a good man, maybe you weren't. But you now. Maybe nlt the best at chess though, checkmate." 

Killian wanted to free Aloce from the tiwer but hoped they never lost their chess matches or his dslaughter simply talking to him about everything. One day he'd realize how precious that had been. But for now it was a mundane simple joy of life.


End file.
